Betty Ann Follette, a longtime parishioner at St. Matthew’s Church in Pacific Palisades, died of natural causes, with her loving family at her side, on February 28. She was 86. Born in Michigan, Betty was raised on the family farm alongside her older brothers, Richard and Ben. During high school in Ann Arbor, she worked a local paper route, delivering the neighborhood’s newspapers on her way home from school (she could hit the front porch from a moving Ford!). When Betty attended the University of Michigan, where she majored in education, Ben was a medical student, and he introduced her to one of his best friends, a handsome trombone player named Jim Follette. The two fell deeply in love and were married in 1945; they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last spring. After Jim and Betty lived in Cincinnati, the U.S. Navy brought them to California, where they settled in Santa Monica and raised their six children. Extremely active in Boy Scout Troop 2 as all four of her sons earned their Eagle Scout award, Betty received the Silver Beaver Award for outstanding contributions to the Boy Scout movement’the first woman to ever receive this prestigious honor. Betty was also active in her children’s public school education, and all six of them graduated from prestigious universities. In addition to her husband Jim, Betty is survived by her sons, Jim, David, Tom and Charlie; her daughters, Carol and Betsy; and 12 grandchildren. A memorial will be held at St. Matthew’s on Saturday, March 12, at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Saint Matthew’s Parish or a charity of one’s choice.
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